Dear Mr. Berko: You discussed three quality stocks (Bank of America, DuPont and GE) with 3 percent yields and safe long-term growth for a reader who wanted high quality and income. I already own two of them but wouldn't touch Bank of America because its customer service stinks and they encourage illegal immigration. The reader wanted to change his approach to the market and own high-quality stocks. Well, I want to do the same, too, ... [full story]

Dear Mr. Berko: Way back in 2003 I bought 300 shares of FNB, or First National Bank of Pennsylvania, at $33 a share. Almost immediately after I bought the stock it began to slide downhill and has never even come close to that price since. What can you tell me about FNB and do you think I should sell it, hold it or average down and buy another 300 at the current $17 price? If ... [full story]

Dear Mr. Berko: I've sent you testimonials and trading information about Gorilla Trades. This is an online trading system that has had fantastic success in making money in the stock market for tens of thousands of stock traders. According to the enclosed information, the online system picks tomorrow's trades and enters them for you and you just sit back and make money. It seems so effortless because Gorilla Trading does all the statistical research and ... [full story]

Dear Mr. Berko: I want to own some shipping transportation stocks and have looked at Omni Corp., Overseas Shipping and Teekay Shipping, but their dividends are all under 2 percent. Can you recommend three shipping (maritime) stocks that have good growth potential and that pay at least 5 percent? And can you give me your thoughts on the shipping/maritime industry as a whole? What do you think of the possibility of higher or lower freight ... [full story]

Seventy-three percent of U.S. adults think life insurance costs too much, according to a 2006 Mutual Life Insurance Co. survey conducted by Harris Interactive.
But declaring "I can't afford it" is not a good enough reason for not buying a life insurance plan, some experts say. They argue that life insurance is a good way of financially caring for loved ones after you die.
There are two basic types of life insurance, according to the ... [full story]

Even if your toddler's vocabulary is not yet as large as a parrot's, you may already know what billions of other moms and dads understand all too well: Kids want stuff.
Children's ability to let you know what they covet begins at an age when uttering any word with more than one syllable is a struggle. But luckily, toddlers have discovered that one powerful word - mine! - often gets the attention of Mommy and ... [full story]

Dear Mr. Berko: I have 17 preferred stocks in my account worth $114,000. Those stocks earn me $6,500 in interest. This money and my modest pension and my Social Security take care of all my living costs. I also teach bridge classes, which is where I met my broker four years ago; who used to be a nice man. I gave him all my preferred stocks and his firm's bookkeeping makes my record-keeping and taxes ... [full story]

Dear Mr. Berko: What do you think will happen to energy prices over the next couple of years and what do you think about investing in oil stocks? I missed the boat five years ago because I didn't have the money to invest. Now I've got about $30,000 that (if you think this is the time) I'd like to put into various oil issues like Exxon, Conoco, BP, Chevron, etc. So I would appreciate your ... [full story]

Dear Mr. Berko: I want to own some shipping transportation stocks and have looked at Omni Corp., Overseas Shipping and Teekay Shipping, but their dividends are all under 2 percent. Can you recommend three shipping (maritime) stocks that have good growth potential and that pay at least 5 percent? And can you give me your thoughts on the shipping/maritime industry as a whole? What do you think of the possibility of higher or lower freight ... [full story]

How much do I need to save for retirement?
Some variation of these words has been uttered by millions of Americans. People keep asking the question because the answers have been about as satisfying as an empty bag of potato chips. Investors have heard it all. Some experts advise people to save 10 percent of their paychecks, while even bigger naggers insist that older procrastinators need to set aside 15 percent or 20 percent or ... [full story]

You may have heard people refer to "good debt" and "bad debt." Ideally, we'd have no debt at all because we'd be rich enough to never need a loan. But few of us belong to that exclusive club, so sometimes we take on debt out of necessity.
One key to achieving financial stability is to minimize bad debt wherever possible, while looking for opportunities where so-called good debt works to your advantage. A simple distinction: ... [full story]

An Interview with Christopher Cox, Chairman, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)Bankrate, Inc. announced this week the release of an interview with Christopher Cox, Chairman, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Mr. Cox shared his thoughts on the topic of retirement, including investment scams directed at seniors and the government's role in retirement security. A transcript of the interview follows.
Interview: Christopher CoxBy Sheyna Steiner
Christopher Cox, Chairman of the SEC Christopher Cox, Chairman of the Securities and ... [full story]

Bankrate, Inc. released a new poll this week which found that nearly one out of five individuals plan to work until death. Another key finding shows that 28% of those surveyed save less than 5 percent with 16 percent saving nothing at all for retirement. Nearly one out of five individuals expects to work until they die.That's among the most startling findings of a recent Bankrate-sponsored survey of Americans' attitudes toward retirement.
The poll of nearly 700 ... [full story]